THANJAVUR: Two caste Hindus were hacked to death and five others injured at a temple festival near Pattukkottai on Monday night in a clash apparently triggered by a long-running rivalry between the dominant Nadars and three lower-caste communities.
According to sources, the first altercation took place on Sunday when some caste Hindus allegedly objected to a few lower-caste men dancing during the Chithirai festival of the Sri Balasubramania Swamy temple in Manjavayal and thrashed them. On Monday, the caste Hindus beat the lower-caste men again, accusing them of teasing women from the former's community. After the lower-caste men complained of this to police, enraged caste Hindus picked up a fight that night and some lower-caste youths allegedly attacked them with arms, killing S Pradeep (30), B Sivanesan (18) on the spot and injuring five others.
While Pradeep, survived by his wife and four-year-old daughter, was about to go abroad, Sivanesan was first-year engineering student. The injured--Pradeep's father M Shanmugasundaram (60), brother S Vimalathithan (26) and relatives D Rajeshkhanna (32), D Veerabaghu (20) and M Kabilan (28)--were rushed to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.
As relatives of the deceased refused to receive their bodies, demanding the culprits be arrested first, they were kept at Pattukkottai Government Hospital.
Based on a complaint filed by Shanmugasundaram, the Adirampattinam police booked 11 from lower-caste communities--Idumbaiyan, Murugesan, Kumaravel, Thangadurai, Balaji, Poonkavin, Vinodh, Jack Gowthaman, Sathish, Murugesan and Anbalagan--under Indian Penal Code sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 302 (murder).
Police sources said that while the immediate provocation for the clash might be the altercations at the temple festival, there was a simmering feud between the caste-Hindu Thevars and people belonging to Mutharayar, Maravar and Nadar castes over the former's exclusive use of a crematorium.
District Collector A Annadurai, Inspector General of Police V Varadharaju, DIG J Loganathan and Thanjavur SP T Senthilkumar visited the place.